Corset



May 27 1924.

W. H. SOMERS CORSET filed June 23, 1922 Patented May 27, i924.

wrnnran HILL sonnes, or new Yonx. n. Y.

cansar.

Application filed June 23, 1922. Serial No. 570,293.

' dent of N ew York, New York County, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corsets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to corsets and is designed and intended to contribute to the comfort and appearance of the wearer and embodies novel means for causing the corset to neatly and comfortably fit the bodyl of the wearer' in any position of the body and to prevent it from working upwardly out of place. To this end, it includes novel means at the upper edge of the corset extending entirely around the body of the wearer for causing that edge to expand and contract as the body expands and contracts duringA standing, sittingor bending, thus preventing discomfort from undue pressure when expansion of the body takes place when sitting down and preventing the upper front portion and the upper rear portion from bulging or projecting outwardly when the body contracts in standing and by close contact with the body at its upper end tending to prevent. the corset from gradually working upwardly out of proper position on the body. It embodies a very simple construction including an elastic band which may be applied to practically any form of corset, either on the outer face of the main fabric or on the inner face and in all cases it will improve the fit and appearance and increase the comfort of the wearer. The novel features will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken in connection with the drawings. In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a face view of a corset embodying the invention taken from the inside;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 3 is a vertical section from the upper edge of a modiiied arrangement of the invention.

As shown in the drawing, the corset consists of two usual fabric sections 10 and 11 which are similar and which may be of the desired shape and length. These fabric sections have edge stay pockets 12 and 13 for the stays and fastening means for connecting the two sections together and the intermediate stay pockets 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 although, it will of .course be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular number of stay pockets ora particular arrangement of them. The two sections of the corset are connected yin the usual way by the lacing 19.

The feature ofthe device which constitutes the main element of the presentinvention consists in an elastic band or webbing 20 which, .in the form shown in Figure 1., is connected to the stay pockets at their upper ends on the inner face of the main fabric of the corset sections and this web or band may be continuous through the stay'A pockets and may be secured at the stay pockets by the stitching at the sides of those pockets. The web or band 20 is of less length than the upper edge portion of thel corset section to which it is applied and each section of this band between two adjacent stay pockets such as between 13 and 18 is shorter than the fabric of the main body of the section immediately below it so that normally the fabric is held partially folded and it is only when the upper edge of the corset is under tension that the band or web 20 is expanded and the fabric of the section itself becomes fully extended. This is illustrated in Figure 2.

Although the elastic belt or band 20 is shown in Figure 1 on the inner surface of the corset, it may be, if preferred, placed on the outer surface Ijust below the upper edge as at 21 in Figure 3 and lace 22 may cover it so that it will not be visible from the front. Where such lace is used, there will, of course, be no elastic portion of the main corset sections, such as 23 shown in Figure 1, since the lace is used only on inelastic fabric.

What I claim and Letters Patent is:

1. A corset including in combination a continuous fabric section including stays and fastening means at the vertical edges and a band of elastic webbing extending along the yupper edge from one vertical edge to the other, attached to said fabric section at intervals, the said band4 being shorter than the edge of the section to which it is attached and the portions between points of attachment being shorter than corresponding portions of the fabric whereby said band desire to secure by will be stretched and under substantially uniform tension when the upper edge of the fabric section is extended.

2. A corset including in combination a continuous fabric section including a series of vertical stay pockets, between and at its vertical edges, sections of elastic webbing connecting the adjacent stay pockets in series at their upper ends at the upper edge of the fabric section from one Vertical edge to the other, the length of said elastic sections being less than that of the fabric along which they lie between stay pockets, where-y by they will be under tension when the upper edge of the corset4 is extended.

3. A corset including in combination a fabric section having a series of vertical stay pockets, between and at its Vertical edges, a continuous band of elastic webbing having its ends secured to the fabric section at the edge pockets thereof adjacent their upper ends passing transversely through the intermediate pockets at the upper edge of said fabric section and secured to the fabric section by the stitching at the sides of the pockets, the said band being materially shorter than the edge of the fabrie section to which it is attached at intervals, and each of its portions between points of attachment beingshorter than the corresponding portions of the fabric whereby said band will be stretched and under tension when the upper edge of the corset is eX- tended. v y l In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, y

IVILLIAM HILL SOMERS. 

